Gil Kenan’s City Of Ember (2008) Movie Review

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Murray

Director – Gil Kenan

Screenplay – Caroline Thompson

Source Material – Jeanne DuPrau

Executive Producer – John D. Schofield

City of Ember is the film adaptation of Jeanne DuPrau’s (2003) book with the same title. CITY OF EMBER was founded deep underground to protect a small segment of humanity from an impending doomsday on Earth’s surface. During that time, the secret to leaving the city when the time was right got lost; now, the town’s massive generator is failing, supplies are running low, and no one wants to think about what lies in the darkness beyond the city limits. No one, that is, except curious teens Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway), which are determined to find a way out of Ember before it’s too late. To succeed, they must puzzle out an ancient document, navigate the city’s crumbling pipeworks, and dodge everything from an enormous mole to the city’s overconfident mayor (Bill Murray). Performances of the two leads are okay, the film tried to up its star factor having supporting roles for Tim Robbins, as well as Martin Landau, an aged pipe works technician, who will undoubtedly get the most laughs out of his taste to strictly stick to his job. This movie is okay unless you read the book first and that it’s only somewhat loosely and yet in some ways very closely based on the book of the same name. Firstly, I liked the design and grandeur of the city and the beginning part of the story. However, as the center storyline begins to unfold, this movie failed to execute and in my opinion, it just crashes. The technicians worked a lot on plans and sets than building engaging script and story. City of Ember lacks Entertainment for kids and Bores the adults.

Survi Review : 2.5/5

Theatrical Trailer: